1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthopedic pillows and more particularly to pillows designed to treat the common problem of forward head posture. The design of the present invention is based on the principle that the health of the spinal system is enhanced by sleeping on our backs with our heads in a fully retruded position in relation to the long axis of our bodies, as if no pillow is used.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In our culture people typically place something soft under their heads while sleeping in order to spread out the weight of the head and thereby provide comfort and reduce the ischemia which results when the weight of the head is concentrated on a small surface area. Yet, when a person sleeps on his or her back, cushions placed directly under the head prop the head up so that it rests on a horizontal plane which is higher (farther from the ground) than the plane on which the body rests (usually the mattress). This arrangement may be comfortable because no ischemia is produced locally on tissues, yet it may contribute to the postural strain in the spine which has become almost endemic in our society.
It is widely agreed that the conditions producing back pain and chronic discomfort take an enormous toll on our society in terms of man-hours lost from work and symptomatic medical treatment aimed at providing temporary relief. It is also widely agreed that the body posture during sleep in important in both etiology and treatment for this condition. Thus, it is not surprising that an orthopedically designed alternative to the traditional pillow has become necessary.
As we have studied the postural systems of those suffering from back pain, an almost constant finding has been forward head posture. A vertical axis through the head rests farther in front of a vertical axis through the body than is found in healthy subjects. As the head is shifted forward the forward facing convex curve of the neck beneath it (called the cervical lordosis) is lost. Forward head posture while standing forces the entire spine to strain in order to balance the head on its top section. This is because the spinal column must align its weight bearing surfaces directly underneath the head in order to effectively provide vertical support. Forward head posture results immediately in increased resting electrical activity (or tonus) in the muscles of the back. This arises because, as the head shifts forward, it drags the shoulder girdle with it, and the muscles running up and down the back of the spine are forced to operate at longer resting lengths as their attachments shift slightly further away from each other. Frequently these muscles have a difficult time adapting, especially when blood flow to the area is already compromised by strain or injury. These muscles are required to hold the heavy head out in front of them rather than directly over the spinal column which is designed to accept forces directed straight dow on it. Thus, a head which is postured back over the shoulders and spinal column is preferred to a head postured forward over a person's sternum.
Traditional pillows add to the problem of forward head posture. This happens because, while the user is lying on his or her back, they prop the head vertically above the surface of the mattress. As a result the head is maintained in a forward position relative to the long axis of the body.
One known alternative is the contoured pillow designed to anatomically mirror the healthy cervical column. These pillows feature a convexity positioned in the middle of the back of the neck and which is designed to reestablish the lordosis which should be there. Yet it is the positioning of the top of the cervical column too far forward, not the positioning of the middle of the cervical column too far back, which causes the orthopedic problem in the first place. The contoured pillow does not address this problem as it still props the head forward off the mattress. Furthermore, the body's need to keep its airway open will prevent any lordosis from occurring by the cervical spine moving forward into the space normally reserved for air passage.
Another know alternative to the traditional head pillow has been the cervical pillow. Such a pillow also attempts to push a lordosis into the back of the cervical column. This may become unbearable if it threatens to impinge on a person's airway, but it has the important advantage of allowing the head to rest all the way back on the same plane as the rest of the body. Thus, orthopedically such pillows may be helpful. However, the trouble with cervical pillows is that they are not comfortable because they do not support the head in a way which distributes its weight widely to prevent ischemia beneath weight bearing surface areas of the head. The weight of the head rests only on the occipital (rear) section of the skull and the upper cervical column (which is particularly ill suited for bearing weight because of the extensive venous drainage in the area).
Other alternative pillows have been designed for use by a person sleeping on his or her side. Such pillows provide a therapeutic postural position of the head by placing the proper thickness of material between the side of the head and the mattress. However, many specialists in the field of spinal orthopedics agree that sleeping on the back is healthier than sleeping on the side, and sleeping on the stomach is the worst of all.
The ideal head posture during sleeping is therefore achieved when no pillow at all is used and the head is allowed to shift backward until its occipital portion rests on the mattress. This allows the head to retrude in relation to the long axis of the spine and thereby produces, at least while sleeping, a correct head posture rather than a forward head posture. The only problem commonly encountered when no pillow is used under the head is that the entire weight of the head rests on a small area of the back of the head. As a result, this area may become ischemic and uncomfortable due to the typical pressure of nine to fourteen pounds resting on it. The point of a pillow is to cushion the head so that it can rest comfortably.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved orthopedic pillow directed towards overcoming these and other problems of the prior art.